Across the nation.

6 Killed When College Plane Crashes Near Branson

BRANSON, MISSOURI — A twin-engine plane headed to the College of the Ozarks crashed in woods near this resort town Thursday, killing all six people aboard, fire officials said.

The school-owned Cessna Citation went down at about 5 p.m. after clipping some trees in a hilly area 5 miles from the college, said Ted Martin, division chief of the Branson Fire Department.

The victims included a college professor, an administrator, the pilot, a student pilot and two spouses, the college said. The plane was returning from a trip to St. Louis.

Debris from the crash was scattered over 100 yards near the Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area, a nature reserve west of downtown Branson.

The school identified the dead as Jerry Watson, a graphic arts professor, and his wife, Pat; Marvin Oetting, chairman of technical and applied sciences, and his wife, Judy; Joe Brinell, the pilot and director of the school's airport, and Bart Moore, a student co-pilot.